 | Title: Starcrossed
 Sexual Content: Kissing, mention of sex. Rating:
|
Description
How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.
As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.
Review
It is impossible to read STARCROSSED without being reminded of other popular, young adult fantasy novels, but rarely is this comparison to STARCROSSED a disadvantage. Visceral, visual, and thoroughly entertaining, my least favorite part of STARCROSSED was finishing the book and knowing I would have to wait until DREAMLESS is released in 2012 to pick op the threads of this fantastic story again.
If the mysterious, alluring Delos family reminded me of the Cullens, that only made it all the more entertaining when Helen lunges for Lucas's throat. If Helen's struggle to understand her body mirrors many other superheroes' origin stories, that only made the visceral details Angelini adds all the more striking. This book was overwhelmingly visual, with action that fairly leapt off the page into my mind's eye. All of these great features didn't quite erase some of the genre tropes that did seem overdone, but those brief moments in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the story
While I enjoyed STARCROSSED immensely as an adult, there is one thing keeping me from giving a copy of this book to all the teens. The prevailing attitude of all of the characters in this book, both kids and adults, seems to be that sex is a foregone conclusion in a teen’s relationship (I’m no prude, but really? You just met this guy!). While this book itself did not contain much by way of sexual content, I would not be surprised if that bridge is crossed later in the series, and that issue alone has me knocking it down from five bats to four. STARCROSSED is a great read, an exciting start to a new series, and a book that I’d happily share with everyone in my life over a certain age.
|
